1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric shaver and more particularly to an electric shaver that has, on the upper portion of the shaver main body, a cutter head in which a plurality of cutter units that have outer cutters and inner cutters that reciprocate while making sliding contact with the outer cutters are installed side by side.
2. Prior Art
In a typical reciprocating electric shaver, a cutter head is installed on the upper portion of a shaver main body that includes a driving source (motor), a driving mechanism, a power supply, an operating switch, etc. The cutter head is comprised of one or more main cutter units and an auxiliary cutter unit, which are installed side by side. Each of the main cutter units comprises a combination of a foil-form outer cutter and an inner cutter that makes a reciprocating motion while making sliding contact with the inside surface of the outer cutter. The auxiliary cutter unit comprises a combination of a slit-form outer cutter (e.g., an edge-trimming cutter or a rough shaving cutter) and an inner cutter that makes a reciprocating motion while making sliding contact with the inside surface of the outer cutter.
Various types of electric shavers exist. In one type of such shavers, a cutter head is provided so as to pivot with respect to the shaver main body and held inclined. Some of such electric shavers are designed so that the heights of the cutter units of the cutter head are adjustable.
Such electric shavers have multiple functions and can be used while achieving variations in the cutter surfaces by way of varying the inclination of the cutter head with respect to the shaver main body and also by way of varying the heights of the cutter units, in accordance with the shaving location.
However, such electric shavers are arranged so that switching of cutter units is done via different operation elements. Thus, the shaver has several operating locations. Furthermore, when the operation elements are located on the front face of the shaver main body, it is difficult to make a switching operation with one hand. Thus, it is bothersome to make a switching operation while interrupting the shaving process, and such electric shavers are inconvenient for use.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems encountered in the prior art and to provide an electric shaver in which the optimal cutter surfaces corresponding to the shaving area can be formed in the cutter head, and the skin contact angle is adjusted to the optimal skin contact angle, by a single switching operation, so that the shaver has an improved operability and convenience of use.
The above object of the present invention is accomplished by a unique structure for an electric shaver that comprises a cutter head which is installed on an upper portion of a shaver main body in a pivotable fashion in a forward-rearward direction and which is provided therein with a plurality of cutter units disposed side by side, each of the cutter units having an outer cutter and an inner cutter that reciprocates while making sliding contact with an inside surface of the outer cutter; and in this electric shaver,
the cutter head is equipped with at least one cutter unit as a movable cutter unit; and
with a single switching operation of a mode switching section that switches operating mode of the shaver and is installed on the shaver main body, not only is the movable cutter unit moved to a specific position in an upward or downward direction from a standard position, but also the angle of inclination of the cutter head with respect to the shaver main body is varied.
In this structure, the mode switching section is installed on one side face of the shaver main body.
The switching operation of the mode-switching section is accomplished by rotating a mode-switching dial.
Furthermore, the movable cutter unit and the mode-switching dial are connected via a first linking member, and the cutter head and the mode-switching dial are connected via a second linking member.